From Boston to the west
by Nichole Marie
Summary: Margaret is sick of her life and travels west but she meets someone special on her way. Updated!!
1. One

"Oh Margaret how are you going to get out of this one?" Margaret said to herself as she managed to peal her body away from the wall of the stagecoach. She looked around trying to remember what had just happened. She was on her way to Mormon flats in the Nevada territory. The Wild West the location of adventure in all the novels she had read, about cowboys and Indians, salon girls and gunfights. Far away from her respectable life style of a privileged lady in Boston. A place she had grown to hate, were she couldn't do anything that wasn't proper and almost nothing was. She was leaving her family who had become to stuck in the past and were not able to break free of the restraints of the wealthy in Boston. Her family had caused all the hardships of her 23-year life span forcing her to become a lady and attempting to rid Margaret of her dreams for her future. She had left home once already to attend a collage, something her parents found unbearable their only daughter trying to be educated, what could be worse! She had finally had enough of the restraints of the east, she was venturing off to the west where there less limitations, well trying to anyway  
  
One of the horses pulling the coach had tried to run in a different direction then the other causing the coach to tip and come crashing down on the dusty desert below. It had landed on its side knocking Margaret off her seat and caused her to hit her head on the ground. She had managed to end up resting on the stages side door, her face slightly swollen from the fall but other then that in good condition. She looked above her at the other door sticking up into the air. "How will I ever get out of the door?" She stood up; her head nearly touched the ceiling. She was just about to open the door when she heard a mans voice  
  
"Hello, is anyone in there"  
  
Adam had been on his way to Mormon flats to take care of some business for his father. Adam liked going on these little trips it was his time to study nature and the world around him. He could be alone, not that he didn't love his two brothers, his father, or his home at the ponderosa. It was just that he needed time to think and be free of the worries of the ponderosa. Adam was admiring the mountains rising just above the horizon when he came across the tipped stagecoach and rushed over to see if anyone was hurt. "Hello, anyone alive," Adam called out once again. Margaret froze, in all of the books she had read about the west there was always a bad cowboy who locked away the damsel and a good cowboy who saved her. Margaret had to do some quick thinking, was this a good cowboy or a bad cowboy. The mans foot steps were getting closer she had to say something.  
  
"I'm hear," Margaret yelled louder then was necessary.  
  
The foot steps came running toward the coach, the door opened and sunlight pored in. Margaret looked up to see a man with dark hair and almond shaped eyes as black as coal, his looks where brooding. This man was by far one of the most handsome gentlemen she had met on her journey west.  
  
" Are you alright Mrs.?" the man asked  
  
Margaret snapped out of her trance and remembered where she was and was she had just been through. "Yes, I'm fine sir," Margaret said in a slightly oppressive tone. She lifted up her gloved hand as if to ask to be helped out. Adam rolled his eyes as he stepped on the wheel to help her . She felt his hand grip her waist as he prepared to lift her out. Margaret looked at the hands touching her body; she quickly stepped away from them. She was strong she didn't need his help; She didn't need anyone's help!  
  
"I can do it myself," She said in a haughty manner.  
  
"Fine, I was just trying to help." Adam replied as he got off of the wheel to watch her struggle out of the coach.  
  
Margaret stood there for a moment while she looked for a way out. She lifted her shirts and stepped up on to the upturned seat. Adam lazily pulled his black hat partly over his eyes; he watched the stage slightly shake as she moved about trying to get out on her own.  
  
"Serves her right," Adam whispered to him self. "She'll never out on her own, any minuet now she'll be asking for my help."  
  
Margaret managed to balance her self on the bench as she gripped the wall above her. She slowly managed to pull her self up and out of the coach.  
  
Adam looked over in amassment as the girl pulled her self out. This girl was no weakling. She was completely out of the stage now but still at least ten feet in the air. Margaret looked over at the man leaning on his horse, he had an arrogant grin on his face that she so wanted to slap off. She was now able to see more then his face although how smug he looked and how unladylike like it was, she defiantly liked what she saw. The man was tall and thin, dressed in all black from his hat to his boots his pants were cuffed up at the bottom. He looked to be in his late 20's or early 30's Margaret then looked down, she freaked. She had no idea she was this high off the ground; if there was one thing she hated it was heights!  
  
Adam saw her slightly teetering.  
  
"You afraid of heights," he called out to her.  
  
"I'm not afraid of anything," she snapped back as she lost her balance Adam raced up to the carriage and caught her before she hit the ground. Her eyes that were closed tightly slowly opened. Margaret smiled, thankful to him and embarrassed at what she had just done.  
  
Adam placed her down. His heart speed up as he gave her a once over. Her honey blond hair was curled in tight ringlets that framed Margaret's face. Her hat had come unpinned and was hanging off to the side on the top of her head. Her eyes were the color of lake Tahoe on a spring day. Her well-structured body was covered in a burgundy traveling dress; much like the ones he had seen worn in Boston when he attended college. She had a corsage of white flowers pinned to her breast but they were now browning in the hot desert air. Adam suddenly realized that he was no longer looking at her face.  
  
"It seems I have forgotten my manners," Adam said hoping she didn't notice that he had been looking her over.  
  
"It seems you have sir." Margaret said eyeing him up the same way he had done. Adam blushed, she had noticed  
  
" I'm Adam, Adam Cartwright,"  
  
" Margaret Thorton," She held out her hand Adam took it and pressed his lips to the silky white fabric.  
  
"What happened here?" Adam asked looking around the stage for some clues  
  
"I'm not quite sure, " she began, wondering the same thing. " All I remember is the horses running a bit faster and then the carriage tipped."  
  
Adam looked at her face again and noticed a swelling bump on her forehead. Adam stepped closer to look at it.  
  
"Does it hurt?" he asked, moving his hand towards the bump  
  
Margaret touched her head, she winced in the pain; A bump was definitely forming.  
  
"I'm fine sir," she said her head held high. She was not about to let this man see her in pain, she could take care of her self. 


	2. Two

Where were you on your way to MAM?" Adam asked Margaret thought, should she tell this stranger about her plans. He seemed harmless but sometimes the nicest looking people turned out to be the nuttiest. "West," Adam looked at her confused; this girl was definitely not from around here. She was stuck in the middle of the desert alone and she wasn't accepting his help, which he could see she desperately needed. "Ok Miss, Well I'll take you in to town." He said then quickly added in a slightly sarcastic tone "If that's ok with you of course." Margaret caught the sarcasm in his voice. She felt bad maybe this man was just trying to help. "Of course it is," She smiled brightly Adam looked around the coach "Where is the man who drove this stage?" This was the first time Margaret gave the old stage driver a thought. " I'm not quite sure, perhaps he went of to get help." " Maybe," Adam mumbled as he started to walk around the coach. Margaret quickly followed; as she rounded the corner of the coach she screamed an ear-shattering scream.  
  
Trapped under the wheel was the lifeless body of the stage driver. Adam raced over to check on the man. " He's dead," He said solemnly as he dropped his wrist. Margaret was frozen; she had never seen such a horrible sight in all her life. The old mans face was pasty and frozen in his last thoughts, but the worst thing was that his eyes were wide open and seemed to be staring right at Margaret. This was too much for her she turned around and suddenly felt sick.  
  
As Margaret struggled to keep her last meal down, Adam struggled to pull the man out from the wheel. He carefully warped the body with a blanket and tied the corpse to his horse; the blanket wasn't long enough to completely cover the mans body so his legs dangled out. It was the best Adam could do, the most he could in respect for this dead man. Margaret had managed not to throw up, but as she looked to where Adam was and saw the poor mans feet sticking out the nausea quickly came back. " Can't you cover him any better," She called over to Adam. " If you want to try go right ahead," He called back a little feed up with her. Margaret gave him a glare, How could he be so nonchalant about this, a man was dead! " This horse will never be able to carry all of us," said Adam "wait here while I go look for one of the horses that ran." With that, he walked back to the dirt road and up a steep slope. Margaret watched him until he disappeared behind a hill. Adam seemed like a very nice genteel man even though she had been a little difficult and it certainly didn't hurt that he was extremely good looking. "No Margaret," she softly reprimanded her self. "You did not come here to find the company of a man." She stood on her tiptoes to see if he was coming back. What if he decided to leave here and never return she then looked over and remembered his horse was still there. Surely, no man would leave their horse if they were not planning on returning. So Margaret gingerly moved toward the Stage and sat not one of the wheels to await his return. 


End file.
